Loom shuttle



Patented May 25, 1937 LOOM SHUTTLE William A. Tebo, Anthony, B. 1., assignor to Draper Corporation, poration of Maine Hopedale, Mass, a cor- Application May 1, 1936, Serial No. 77,391

8 Claims.

' The present invention pertains to automatically threading loom shuttles, and has more particular reference to the threading devices of such shuttles.

Shuttles of the type mentioned are comprised of a shuttle body containing an automatically replaceable filling carrier, a side delivery eye, and athreading block for guiding the running filling into the side delivery eye during the first two picks after the transfer of a filling carrier into the shuttle. The threading block has a longitudinally extending thread passage and a horn which projects outwardly and rearwardly over the thread passage, the running filling becoming threaded into the thread passage below the horn at the beginning of the first pick after transfer. The horn is intended to guide the filling into the side delivery eye at the beginning of the second pick after transfer. It has been found that in prior shuttles the filling will sometimes, at the end of the first pick or beginning of the second pick after transfer, unthread from beneath the threading block horn and thus fail to pass into the side delivery eye.

I propose to provide an automatically threading loom shuttle, having a threading block and horn as first above mentioned, wherein means for preventing the filling from becoming unthreaded from beneath the horn are carried entirely by the shuttle body and which means may be adapted for use with conventional threading blocks.

A further object is to provide an automatically threading loom shuttle, having a threading block and horn as aforesaid, which shuttle shall have thread guiding means carried by the shuttle body outwardly thereof from the horn, and other guide means carried by the shuttle body and having an inclined guiding surface for guiding the running filling forwardly beneath the horn to a position in front of the guiding means.

The aforementioned and other objects are, accomplished by the construction illustrated on the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the thread delivery end of a shuttle having my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section, taken approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but to a larger scale; and

Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section, taken approximately on line '3-3 of Fig. 2.

The shuttle shown on the drawing is comprised of a shuttle body I having a longitudinally ex tending cavity 2 for the reception of a filling carrier such as bobbin 3, and certain threading instrumentalities to be hereinafter described in detail. The shuttle body is provided with any conventional means (not shown) by which the filling carrier is releasably held in the cavity and which permits the filling carrier to be automatically replaced by a new one whenever the filling supply becomes substantially exhausted.

The threading instrumentalities include a side delivery eye, which is formed in the front wall of the shuttle at 4 in the usual manner, and a suitable threading block for guiding the filling into the delivery eye during the first two picks after transfer. The threading block is fixed in a recess 5 in the shuttle body, and is comprised of a floor 6, front and rear walls i and 8, respectively, and a horn 9 which projects outwardly and rearwardly from the front wall. The threading block may be of any suitable usual construction. However, the particular threading block shown differs from a well known form of prior threading block, principally in that the horn 9 projects farther rearwardly than did the horn of the prior block.

It may be here noted that the expressions denoting direction, as herein employed, are applicable to the shuttle when the latter is considered to be positioned in a loom and boxed at the side of the loom toward which the tip ll] of the shuttle points. a direction from the top of the sheet of drawings toward the bottom thereof on Fig. '1, and outwardly is in a direction from the cavity 2 toward the tip ll] of the shuttle.

The shuttle is provided with a longitudinal thread passage which communicates with the cavity 2 and extends through the threading block, it being defined by the walls and fioor of the block as is clearly shown on the drawing. The horn 9 projects from the front wall of the threading block outwardlyand rearwardly, above the thread passageto a point materially rearwardly of the longitudinal axis of the bobbin 3, the rearwardend of the horn as appearing on Fig. 1 being substantially in alignment with. the rear wall 8. The rearward end of the horn is free and turns downwardly at H to terminate in a depression formed in the shuttle body.

In the particular shuttle shown, the depression for receiving the down-turned end I I of the horn is in the form .of a channel l2 which extends generally longitudinally of the shuttle at the outer end thereof. The shuttle body is also provided with a slot I3 forwardly of the channel for receiving the running filling during the first Thus, forwardly is in l pick after transfer. The slot extends longitudinally outwardly from the recess 5 and the thread passage in the threading block, the slot and thread passage in the threading block being substantially in alignment and communicating directly with each other.

The channel l2 and slot l3 are conveniently formed by a wide groove in the shuttle body which is divided, to separate the slot from the channel, by a longitudinally extending thread engaging wall M. The wall is positioned a substantial distance forwardly of the rearward free end of the horn 9, it being preferably forwardly of the axis of the bobbin 3. It will be noted that the thread engaging wall projects to a height materially above the lowermost end of the downturned end II. The thread engaging wall may be formed in any convenient manner, the particular wall shown being comprised of a suitably shaped metal staple driven into the wood of the shuttle body.

The shuttle as thus far described is generally old. However, I have combined with these old features a guide member which may extend across the inner end of the channel l2 below the horn. The guide member has a top guide surface 15 which is inclined in a direction to lead the filling thread forwardly beneath the horn. The top guide surface l5 as shown is inclined from a point H3 at the rear of the thread passage forwardly, downwardly and slightly outwardly to a point ll' beneath the horn. It will be noted that the point i! is above and slightly forwardly and inwardly of the inner end of the wall 14.

The guide member just described is preferably provided with a front thread retaining surface l8 which extends downwardly from the point IT to the bottom of the above-mentioned groove in the shuttle body. The surface I8 is directly beneath the horn and is substantially in alignment with the front Wall '1 of the threading block. The particular guide member shown is formed from a wire having its ends inserted in holes in the wood of the shuttle body.

In the operation of the shuttle in a loom, a filling carrier is transferred into the cavity 2 at a time when the shuttle is boxed as above described. At such time, the filling end 1 extends from the filling carrier outwardly and upwardly, over the threading block, to the usual fixed holder (not shown) Thereafter the shuttle is moved bodily rearwardly and then picked in a direction toward the left, Fig. 1, as is well known in the art. As the shuttle is thus picked the filling unwinds from the filling carrier and in so unwinding swirls or balloons about. The path of the swirling filling is such that the filling passes rearwardly and downwardly about the free end of the horn 9 and into the thread passage in the threading block. The filling is held quite low in the inner end of the thread passage, so that it strikes against or rides on the inclined top surface 15 of the guide member and is thus guided forwardly over the top of the thread engaging wall M.

It will be noted that the top guide surface [5 will lead the filling forwardly if the surface is inclined forwardly and downwardly or forwardly and outwardly, although best results are obtained if the surface is given both the outward and downward inclination as shown. The exact position of the top guide surface relative to the wall M is not important, provided that the guide surface must be at least as high as the wall and must extend sufficiently far forwardly to guide the filling into its position in front of the wall.

The filling becomes threaded into the thread passage and the slot [3 very early in the first pick after transfer and continues to run in such position throughout the remainder, or practically the whole of the first pick. After the shuttle has completed its first flight it is moved bodily forwardly and rearwardly and then picked in the opposite direction. These movements of the shuttle slacken the running filling and tend to cause it to sway or twist upwardly or rearwardly and upwardly and thus become unthreaded from beneath the horn 9. The front thread retaining surface l8 holds the filling forwardly so that, if straight, it cannot move rearwardly unless it first moves upwardly to a position above the downturned end ll of the horn. Thus, the front thread retaining surface 18 will usually prevent the filling from becoming unthreaded. However,

I prefer to provide, also, the wall M with which the surface l8 cooperates to prevent the filling from becoming unthreaded even if the filling should become twisted or looped.

Shuttle blanks, that is shuttles which may be recessed to receive thread blocks but not equipped with such blocks, may be constructed in accordance with the present invention. Such blanks constitute marketable articles of manufacture and I accordingly consider them to be of the present invention.

Having fully disclosed the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. An automatically threading loom shuttle K.

comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having a longitudinally extending thread passage communicating with said cavity, said threading block being provided with a horn projecting outwardly and rearwardly across said thread passage and terminating in a longitudinal channel formed in said shuttle body, there being a slot formed in said shuttle body in continuation of said thread passage and extending outwardly beyond said horn in position to receive the running filling during the first pick after transfer, said slot being separated from said channel by a thread engaging wall positioned forwardly of the rearward end of said horn, and a guide at the inner end of said channel below said horn, said guide having a top surface which inclines forwardly and outwardly from the rear of said thread passage to a point above and in front of said wall to thereby guide the running filling forwardly over the top of said wall into the slot.

2. An automatically threading loom shuttle comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having a longitudinally extending thread passage communicating with said cavity, said threading block being provided with a horn projecting outwardly and rearwardly across said thread passage and terminating in a longitudinal channel formed in said shuttle body, there being a slot formed in said shuttle body in continuation of said thread passage and extending outwardly beyond said horn in position to receive the run ning filling during the first pick after transfer, said slot being separated from said channel by a thread engaging wall positioned forwardly of the rearward free end of said horn substantially in alignment with said thread passage,and a guide having a top guide surface which extends from a point at the rear of said thread passage downwardly and forwardly to a point above and in front of said wall to thereby guide the running filling into said slot, said guide also having a front surface cooperating with said wall to prevent the filling from moving rearwardly out of said slot.

3. An automatically threading loom shuttle comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having a longitudinally extending thread passage communicating with said cavity, said threading block having a horn which projects rearwardly across said thread passage and the rearward end of which turns downwardly into a channel provided therefor in said shuttle body, there being a space forwardly ofsaid channel and beneath said horn through which space the running filling extends during the first pick after transfer, said shuttle body having a fixed wall which extends outwardly of the shuttle from said horn between said space and said channel, said wall projecting materially above the down-turned end of said thread guard, said shuttle body having a guide surface which inclines from the rear of said thread passage downwardly and forwardly beneath said horn to a point above and in front of the inner end of said wall to thereby guide the filling forwardly over the top of said Wall into said space.

4. An automatically threading loom shuttle comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having a longitudinally extending thread passage communicating with said cavity, said threading block having a horn which projects rearwardly across said thread passage and the rearward end of which turns downwardly into a channel pro-- vided therefor in said shuttle body, there being a space forwardly of said channel and beneath said horn through which space the running filling extends during the first pick after transfer, said shuttle body having a fixed wall which extends outwardly of the shuttle from said horn between said space and said channel, said wall projecting materially above the down-turned end of said thread guard, said shuttle body having a guide extending across the inner end of said channel, said guide having a top surface which inclines from the rear of said thread passage forwardly and outwardly beneath said horn to a point above and in front of said wall, said guide having a front surface beneath said horn which cooperates with said wall to prevent the filling from 'unthreading rearwardly about said horn.

5. An automatically threading loom shuttle comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having a longitudinally extending thread passage in alignment with said cavity, said threading block being provided with a horn which projects outwardly and rearwardly across said thread passage to a point materially rearwardly of the axis of said filling carrier, the rearward end of said horn being free and being turned downwardly into a groove provided therefor in said shuttle body, and a guide carried by said shuttle body, said guide having a front thread retaining surface which extends upwardly from the bottom of said groove to a point beneath said horn above the down-turned end of the latter, said front surface being materially forwardly of the axis of said filling carrier, said guide having a top guide surface which inclines forwardly and outwardly from the rear of the thread passage to 3 the top of the said front surface to thereby guide the filling during the first pick after transfer to a position beneath said horn in front of said thread retaining surface.

6. An automatically threading loom shuttle 5 comprising a shuttle body containing a filling carrier in a cavity therein, a threading block having front and rear walls defining a longitudinal thread passage in alignment with said cavity, said threading block having a horn which projects from said front wall outwardly and rearwardly to a point materially rearwardly of the axis of the filling carrier, the rearward end of said horn being free and being turned downwardly into a groove provided therefor in said shuttle body, and a guide carried by said shuttle body, said guide having a front thread retaining surface which extends upwardly from the bottom of said groove to a point beneath said horn above the down-turned end of the latter, said front surface being substantially in alignment with said front wall, said guide having a top guide surface which inclines forwardly and downwardly from a point rearwardly of the free end of said horn to the top of said front surface to thereby guide the running filling into a position beneath said horn in front of said thread retaining surface.

7. As an article of manufacture, a shuttle blank having therein a longitudinally extending cavity for the reception of a filling carrier, said shuttle blank being recessed to receive and hold a threading block in alignment with said cavity, said shuttle blank being provided with a depression for receiving the end of a threading block horn, there being a longitudinally extending thread slot forwardly of said alignment with said cavity and recess and communicating directly with thelatter, said depres sion and slot being separated by a longitudinally extending thread engaging wall, said shuttle blank having a guide member positioned between said recess and said opening, said guide member having a top guide surface which inclines downwardly and forwardly from the rear wall of said recess to a point above and in front of said thread trapping wall, said guide member having a front thread retaining surface extending downwardly from said top surface at the front of said thread engaging wall.

8. As an article of manufacture, a shuttle blank having therein a longitudinally extending cavity for the reception of a filling carrier, said shuttle blank being recessed to receive and hold a threading block in alignment with said cavity, said shuttle blank being provided with a longitudinally extending channel for receiving the end of a threading block horn, there being a thread slot in said shuttle blank forwardly and substantially parallel with said channel, said slot being in alignment with said cavity and recess and communicating directly with the latter, said channel and slot being separated by a longitudinally extending thread engaging wall, said shuttle blank having a guide member at the inner end of said channel, said member having a top guide surface which inclines outwardly and forwardly from the rear wall of said recess to a point above and in front of the inner end of said thread engaging wall, said guide member having a front thread retaining surface which extends from said top depression, said slot being in surface downwardly to the bottom of said slot and which is positioned between said recess and said thread engaging wall.

WILLIAM A. TEBO. 

